Monahan’s hat trick not enough as Jets fall to Flames, snap three-game win streak

CALGARY — Nazem Kadri had two goals and an assist Monday afternoon as the Calgary Flames rallied from a 3-1 deficit to post a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Oliver Kylington, Blake Coleman, Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrew Mangiapane also scored for Calgary (26-25-5), which snaps a three-game losing streak. Rasmus Andersson had a pair of assists.

Sean Monahan scored all three goals for Winnipeg (33-15-5), which had its three-game win streak snapped. The Jets remain in third place in the Central Division, one point back of the Colorado Avalanche. Winnipeg has three games in hand.

Pulled in his previous outing, it was a solid bounce-back game for Flames netminder Jacob Markstrom as he made 28 stops to improve to 18-15-2.

Connor Hellebuyck had 28 stops to fall to 26-11-3. Hellebuyck entered the game on a three-game win streak in which he had only allowed three goals on 90 shots.

It was also the first time in 32 starts that Hellebuyck has surrendered more than three goals in a game. The last time was Nov. 2 when he gave up four goals against Vegas.

Down 3-1 in the first period, Calgary’s comeback started at 14:09 when Coleman scored on a setup from Mangiapane.

The tying goal came 4:58 into the second when Kadri deflected MacKenzie Weegar’s point shot past Hellebuyck on the power play.

The Flames surged in front 4-3 lead at 16:06 of the second when Huberdeau was set up neatly by Andersson, cashing in his ninth goal.

Calgary got some breathing room at 13:18 of the third when Kadri wove into the Jets zone and set up Mangiapane’s one-timer that made it a two-goal cushion.

Kadri put the game on ice with an empty netter.

Calgary opened the scoring at 4:19 of the first period on Kylington’s first goal since April 18, 2022. Playing his ninth game of the season, the Flames defenceman returned to the lineup on Jan. 25 after missing a season-and-a-half while on a mental health leave.

His unassisted goal was all his doing as he intercepted Dylan Demelo’s pass at his own blue line and promptly rushed the puck up ice, seemingly catching the Jets on their heels as he burst between the two defencemen and shovelled a backhand over Hellebuyck’s shoulder.

Monahan took over after that.

At 6:07 on a power play, the former Flame poked the puck over the line after Kyle Connor’s initial shot dribbled through Markstrom’s pads.

Fourty-two seconds later on a sequence that began with Monahan’s faceoff win in the offensive zone, he knocked in Demelo’s rebound after Markstrom couldn’t control the initial shot.

Monahan made it three goals in a span of 5:58 — and 17 goals on the season — when he fired home a rebound from the slot.

Monahan’s natural hat trick was his second career three-goal game. His first was as a member of the Flames in Philadelphia on Nov. 18, 2017.

MARKSTROM MILESTONES

In his 200th game with the Flames — one of six in franchise history to reach that plateau — Markstrom becomes the fifth goaltender to win 100 games.

RARE BLOWN LEAD

The Jets lost a game in which they led after the first period for just the second time this season (15-2-0). They entered the game tied with St. Louis for the best winning percentage (. 938) in that scenario.

UP NEXT

Jets: Host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Flames: Wrap up a four-game homestand Thursday against the Boston Bruins.

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